Trapped in Ice
by SarkSilver
Summary: What if Hermione wasn't a Mudblood? What would she do if suddenly, she is thrust in a world she could only dream about? she didn't choose this, it just happened and now she has to cope with it.
1. in which Hermione learns something new

Disclaimer: i do not own these characters they all belong to JK Rowling.

Author's Note: t i'm only writing one disclaimer for the whole thing so please, don't report me. i know this idea has been used before, but this is my own spin on the whole thing.

please read and reveiw, i wish to know if i should continue with it.

* * *

Chapter I - A Homecoming and a Revalation

* * *

Hermione Granger, sixth year gryffindor prefect, stomped furiously back into her compartment. Her best friends, Ron, Harry and Ginny trailing after her, each of them looked rather scared, something that was not really a rare thing.   
  
But shall i start from the begining?  
  
After completing their sixth year at hogwarts, Hermione Granger, Ronald and Virginia Weasley and Harry potter were on the school train, otherwise known as the Hogwarts Express, on their way back to king's cross station back in london. Hermione was upset because not three minutes earlier she had a run-in with a one, Draco Malfoy, not one of her closest compnions to say the very least. In truth, the two hated each other with a passion, but let me get on with the story...  
  
"Ignore him, Hermione, he's just a git." Ginny said trying to get Hermione to calm down, it was not working.  
  
Hermione grit her teeth and nodded, Ginny was right, Malfoy was a git she had been dealing with him for six years, by now a couple of half hearted 'mudblood' taunts should do nothing to miff her, but it wasn't the 'mudblood' taunts the pissed her off this time. It was the sudden lofty look that malfoy had in his eyes, like she was not good enough for him to even insult her... okay, that was pathetic, he was baiting her and here she was taking his bait, getting angry at him this time because he was not torturing her enough.   
  
What was wrong with her?  
  
"Yeah, Hermione." Ron agreed. "He's just jealous bacause your smarter than he'll ever be plus," He grinned widely. "You got higher than he did in transfiguration."  
  
Hermione smiled slightly.  
  
Harry nodded in agreement.  
  
"He's just Malfoy, Hermione, don't let him get to you." he said loyaly. "Now let's stop talking about the insufferable git and play a game of Exploding Snap, what do you say? maybe I'll even let you beat me a couple of times."  
  
Hermione smacked him in the arm.  
  
Ginny grinned, knowing the doubt of her abilities and Hermione's own competetive nature was enough to make her forget about the whole fiasco.  
  
"You obvisouly don't have to try very hard, Harry." she said.   
  
They all laughed at that. Hermione was so glad she had her friends, and that she would always have her friends. The rest of the trip went very much in the like, continuous games of Exploding Snap and wizarding chess after that when ron had complained that he was no good at explouding snap. That was until the Candy Cart came around and as was the usual, Harry and Hermione bought more than enough for even the four of them.  
  
King's Cross station came to soon, then it was the usual banter, harry's grumbling of having to stay another summer with the Dursley's and Ron's offer for him and Hermione to stay at the burrow, which Hermione politely declined, at least for a while, she and her parents were probably going to take their annual trip to France, all in all she was looking forward to completely normal summer.  
  
They each entered the muggle part of King's Cross in inconspicous groups of twos and threes, as soon as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny crossed over Mrs. Weasley was there grinning at them. She gave each of them a big motherly hug.  
  
"Hello there, dears." she greeted cheerfully. "I hope we shall be seeing you over the summer?"  
  
Hermione grinned in turn, mrs. Weasley was just like that, a mother to all of them, she had already practically adopted Harry. Hermione loved her in the way that one would love an old, batty aunt, who loved nothing more than to fuss over you. In a way, that was exactly what Mrs.Weasley was.  
  
"Maybe later in the summer, Mrs. Weasley." she replied politely.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Dumbledore told me to stay with the Dursley's for at least a couple of weeks." he said. "But you can count on me being there."  
  
Mrs. Weasley beamed.  
  
There was a rather abrupt cough, the group turned around to see Vernon Dursley in the flesh-and what a lot of it he had. he brushed his large mustace and gestured to Harry.  
  
"Let's get going, boy." He said gruffly.  
  
Harry nodded, somewhat reluctantly but followed after him.  
  
"Bye, Harry!!!" Hermione called. "See you soon!"  
  
"Good luck, mate!" Ron added.  
  
Harry turned around and waved before disapearing into the Dursley's new car. Right behind it was a car the Hermione knew all too well.  
  
She turned to the weasley's.  
  
"Bye!" she said. She gave ginny, Ron and Mrs.Weasley one last hug. "I'll owl you about coming later in the summer."  
  
"Bye, Hermione!!!!" Ginny called out.  
  
Hermione waved before climbing into her dad's old car as he put her school trunk into the boot.  
  
"Hi, Daddy." she greeted.  
  
"Hello, Hermione," Mr. Granger replied. "Glad to be home?"  
  
Hermione sighed and leaned back in her seat.  
  
"More than you know."_She was running thru a forest, she was not running from anything exactly, nor was she running to anything. She was just running, trees and thick foliage whizzing right passed her. Then somehow, the foliage changed, she was still in the forest and yet it just seemed clearer....  
  
"Hello??" She called out. "Hello?"  
  
Five hooded figured appeared before her, they seemed to have emerge from the foliage. Two of them, they must be the women Herminone thought, held out little bundles to another figure, one who was at least a head talled than the two women, he waved his wand above the bundles.  
  
Hermione heard no spell, no words were uttered as the last two figured pulled parchment from their robes and handed it to the one who had waved his wand at them and he signed the document.  
  
They're being betrothed. Hermione realized.  
  
The silence was absolute, not even normal forrest sounds could be heard, Hermione was afraid to even breath for fear of being heard by the party so far away.  
  
How odd... Hermione thought.  
  
The silence was suddenly shattered by a woman's peircing scream. Hermione realized that it was coming from one of the women in the clearing.  
  
The figure who had performed the ritual stepped in front of her as the figure by her side, her husband Hermione thought, ran to challenge what had made the woman scream. He did not come back.  
  
The woman sunk to the ground.  
  
The tall one took the bundle from her hands and fled into the night.  
  
Hermione found herself following him. She did not look back at the other figures in the clearing.  
  
"Hermione!" She thought she heard one of them call.  
  
She stopped and turned around, there was a peice of cloth hainging on one of the trees. She hurriedly ripped the sheet from the tree and studied it. She was filled with a sudden urgency, as if her whole existence depended on what was written on that peice of cloth.  
  
"Hermione!!!"  
  
"Hermione Granger!"  
  
Hermione jerked awake, she was relieived to see the walls of her room. She had been having that dream very often over the last month or so, ever since she had come back from hogwarts, but this time she had finally gotten to see what was on the peice of cloth.  
  
_"Hermione!"  
  
It was her mother calling her.   
  
"Coming, Mum!!" she called back.  
  
Swinging her feet of her bed and into her slippers she stretched sleepily. She pulled on her dressing gown over her pyjamas and made her way downstairs. By the time she had reached the bottom of the stairs her thoughts had already driven her re-occuring dream to the back of her mind.  
  
Her father and mother were already downstairs in the Granger's spacious kitchen starting on their breakfast.  
  
Hermione smiled at the normalcy of it. Her father was reading the newspaper and her mother was pouring the coffee, her completely normal parents.  
  
"Good morning, Hermione, dear." Georgina Granger greeted her daughter.  
  
"Morning, Mum." Hermione said crossing the room to kiss her mother on the cheek.  
  
There was a small caough from the table.  
  
Hermione's grin widened.  
  
"Good morning, Daddy!" she said giving him a kiss on the cheek as well.  
  
"Its about time you come down, Hermione," Thomas Granger chastised mildly. "Your mother has been calling for you to come down for half an hour. And how is my little head girl?"  
  
Hermione blushed slightly, she had already received her letter annoucing her position as head girl. Her father had not let her forget it.  
  
"Fine, Daddy, sorry, Mum." she said. "Why did you want me to wake up?"  
  
"I was thinking of going into the city today, dear." her mother replied, "We could ride with your father when he goes of to work"  
  
Hermione nodded as she joined her father at the breakfast table and started on the toast her mother had already laid out for her.  
  
"Start getting ready after you've finished your bearkfast" her mother continued. "We have to leave soon."  
  
Hermione crammed the last few bites into her mouth and drank half a glass of orange juice in a minute. Then she dissapeared upstairs to get ready.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Hermione was no fashion obssesed girly-girl she never took longer than fifteen minutes to get ready, but she felt like looking a little nicer today. she was sitting at her mother's vanity looking for a pair of earings.  
  
"Mum!" she called out. "May i borrow a pair of earings?"   
  
"Sure, Honey!" her mother called out.  
  
Hermione went on with her quest to find the perfect earings when she stumbled across something she had never seen before.  
  
It was a locket, silver or white gold, it looked very expensive, but that was not what bothered hermione, after all how many expensive peices of jewelry did her mother recieve from her father on anniversaries?  
  
No, what bothered Hermione about the necklace was the locket was that it was exacly what she saw in her dream, the dream that she had forgotten until now. She took the necklace and made her way downstairs.  
  
"Mum?" she asked. "Where did you get this?"  
  
The happy smile that was on her Georgina's face fell. Even Thomas looked up to see what was wrong and when he saw what his daughter was holding in her hands he looked immdiately worried.  
  
"I'd better phone in." he said after a minute of silence. "I don't think i can go to work today."  
  
Georgina looked at him appreciatively. then turned back to her daughter facing her demanding look bravely.  
  
"Hermione, dear," she said. "Come on, lets take a little trip shall we?" 


	2. in which Hermione learns her story

* * *

Chapter II - the past is what makes now

* * *

Hermione could not believe it.  
  
She sat in the front seat of the car, neither she nor her mother was speaking, there really was not anything else to say.  
  
She was adotpted.   
  
All these years her parents had been lying to her, they really weren't her parents...   
  
That's when in hit her... maybe she wasn't a mublood, maybe her parents were wizards as well.  
  
She turned to her Mu-Georgina Granger.  
  
"From where did you adopt me?" she asked, her voice was devoid of all emotion.  
  
Mrs. Granger shifted in her seat, she looked rather uncomfotable disscussing this.  
  
She didn't answer.  
  
Hermione nodded. she acknowleged the fact that her mother was not yet ready to tell her everything, she had a feeling it was better this way, she knew that she could not handle anymore truth but it still made her more angry than she could possibly put into words, first of all her parents were lying to her, and then they do not even think her mature enough to handle the whole truth.  
  
Georgina chanced a look at her daughter as she pulled up in the Granger's driveway.  
  
Hermione got out of the car and walked up the steps to the house she had not three hour earlier she had seen as her home, now she felt like an outsider, someone who had no business in this house and yet was here anyway.  
  
Taking a deep breath she opened the door surprised at the fact that it was unlocked.  
  
What she saw in ther living room was the very last thing she ever expected.  
  
There, looking completely out of place with all the normal muggle furniture and and her normal muggle father, stood Albus Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"What is going on here?" Hermione demanded.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Hermione," the man she had once called father said. "It was Dumbledore who gave you to us. i sent him a message... its a strange contraption that looks sort oif like a curious old-" he stopped himself under lucius' glare.  
  
Dumbledore nodded deeply.  
  
"Ms. Granger," he said. "if you would follow me."  
  
Before she could ask where she would be following him, the Hogwarts headmaster turned and threw some silvery floo power into her fire place where a crackling fire had just appeared.  
  
"Ms. Granger." he said gesturing for her to go first. "I shally be taking you to hogwarts."  
  
Catching on to his meaning Hermione nodded and stepped stepped into the fire, ignoring her Georgina Granger's sharp intake of breath.  
  
"HOGWARTS!" she yelled in a clear voice.  
  
She got to her school with a minimal ammount of dust on her robes but stumbled rather ungracefully out of the fireplace to find herself in Dumbledore's office. Not really knowing what else to do, she sat down on one of the chairs.  
  
She occupied her self for a few seconds by looking around at the whizing contraptions and the portraits of the former headmasters, Harry had told her about this place and then there was Fawkes, the pheonix who had saved Harry's life in second year, but it wasn't the majestic bird she had thought he would be, instead he looked like a horrible little pink rat with wings. Suddenly he burst into flames. Hermione flinched and looked away from it, she knew that she was in no way responsible for what happened but she just felt uncomfortable being in Dumbledore's office when it happened.  
  
Lucius chose that time to appear, stepping gracefully out of the fireplace, just before Dumbledore, himself came out next to him.  
  
"what's going on?" she blurted out. Dumbledore had not even the time to sit down across from her. She blushed slightly, she hadn't meant for it to come out like that.  
  
Dumbldore smiled.  
  
"I believe," he started. "That i owe you an apology. I should really have told you sooner,"  
  
Hermione shook her head.  
  
"Why did you give me to my par-the Granger's? What happened to my birth parents?" Hermione asked catching herself before saying that the Grangers were her real parents.  
  
Dumbledore frowned.  
  
"Before i start, Miss. Granger, i want you to understand something." he said seriously.  
  
"yes?" Hermione prompted. "and its just Hermione."  
  
Dubledore nodded.  
  
"The Granger's are you parents, they raised you and made you theirs, they are your parents no matter whose blood runs thru your veins. I just hope that you will understand that this is not their fault."  
  
Hermione hesitated slightly but nodded, she wanted Dumbledore to continue.  
  
"As for your bitrth parents, you were born to Luc Phillipe Ruseux and Renee Mercedes du Lac d'pointoirs." He paused for a minute allowing the names to sink in.  
  
Hermione's eye widened, she had read about the Ruseux's, but they were...  
  
Seeing the light of realization in her eyes. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Yes, Hermione those Ruseux's, you see, the countries of the wizarding world, much like the muggle ones, were once ruled by monarchies which were later replaced by the different Ministries of Magic. The French monarchy was the last-is the last remaining and it was led by the Ruseux's with Phillipe as the last remaining heir, he was sent to hogwarts during the rise of the dark times due to an outside inteference and in his third year he met one of the french court who had been transferred from Beuxbatons for similar reasons her name was Mercedes. After gradution they married and had one child, a daughter," he paused. "Amelia Antoinette Hermione d'Pointoirs Ruseux, otherwise known as Hermione Granger, you."  
  
Hermione looked at Dumbledore incredulously, and then she realized something.  
  
"So that explains why you were looking for me but why was i given to the-my parents?" she asked, just catching herself before she said 'the Granger's' again.  
  
Dumbledore smiled slightly.  
  
"The Ministry was after your birth parents, they were really more of neutral in the fight against Voldemort, the Ministry thought of this as if they were one his side and not theirs, some even went so far as to convince them of taking the Ministry's side by using their daughter."  
  
Hermione looked horrified.  
  
"What?" she demanded aghast. "Who? Who would take and inocent child from her parents and used as a bribe?"  
  
Dumbledore looked grim.  
  
"Who, headmaster?" hermione repeated, more forcefully. "Aren't we supposed to be the light side? The good side?"  
  
"Hermione,"  
  
"WHO, Proffesor Dumbledore? Who?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed.  
  
"Authur Weasley, Cornelius Fudge, among others," he said. "but before they could, I took you from your birth parents and gave you to the Grangers, they never knew who you came from nor did they know who you really were."  
  
Hermione nodded, it took a while for everything to sink in, she wanted more than anything to shake Dumbledore, scream at him to take back what he had said. It was all too much, all this new information, about her real paretns, her heritage, about Aurthur weasley, after all, he had been a second father to her he could never have dome the things he did, however Hermione also had an inkling to believe the old headmaster. Somehow, she had a feeling he was not lying, but finally telling her everything after all this time.  
  
"Where are they?" Hermione asked finally. "My birth parents, i mean."  
  
Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Right here." he replied.  
  
"What??" Hermione sputtered her eyes widening. she was rather glad they were not dead, had they have been at the hands of the so-called Ministry, she would have located Aurthur Weasley herself and decapitated him.  
  
Even Lucius smiled, as Dumbledore opened the door revealing a tall, dark haired wizard in an expensive looking robe, next to him was an auburn haired witch, her robes were just as expensive looking and exsquisitely tailored. Upon seeing Hermione the woman gave a small cry of delight. The man beside her seemed too happy to express in words.  
  
"My Amelia!" she cried. Running into dumbledore's office, she embraced Hermione tightly, and after a moment's hesitation Hermione hugged back.  
  
"Easy, Mercedes." Lucius said, he was smiling slightly.  
  
After a moment Mercedes released her long lost child, and Phillipe took his turn to hug her.  
  
"Mercedes, Phillipe, i believe it is time for the entire story to be revealed." Dumbledore said.  
  
Hermione, in a daze, returned to her seat. Lucius, Mercedes and Phillipe followed her example.  
  
When they had all fallen silent Dumbledore started.  
  
"Not long after you were born, Hermione," he said. "Phillipe was accused of being a death eater, hence they wanted to use you to force answers out of him."  
  
"Bloody Weasley." Phillipe muttered.  
  
Ignoring him, Dumbledore continued.  
  
"So i took you and brought you to the Grangers, the Ministry interrogated both Phillipe and Mercedes, in the end Mercedes was released and Phillipe taken to Azkaban, not too long after that, however, Harry defeated Voldemort and thankfully, in that same year Phillipe was released. He was proven innocent and publicly apologised to, i knew that it was in your best interest for you to stay in custody of your adoptive parents. Phillipe and Mercedes were under the impression that you were safe but in hiding and they trusted my judgment, but now, that you have found about you adoption yourself, I believe it is time you claim you rightful place in wizarding society. However as to taking your place in society and, indeed, royalty it involves great consequences, privileges and responsibilities and only you, my dear, can tell me wether or not you think you are ready to take on this challenge," He finished with a deep breath. "Do you wish to, Hermione?"  
  
Hermione stared at him, and then looked around the room.  
  
"You have explained everything, Professor Dumbledore, but one," She said deciding to stall, prolong the time until her final decision until the very last moment. "What is Lucius Malfoy doing here?"  
  
"i believe i can answer that." phillippe spoke up. "lucius and i were very close in school, and remained close after we had married, Narcissa and Mercedes were very close as well, and we had an arangement of sorts with them."  
  
Hermiones looked curious.  
  
"What sort of arrangements?" she asked.  
  
"He is your godfather." Phillippe continued. "and should anything happen to me or your mother, he will be the one to take care of you, as we would to Draco."  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Say i agree to stay with you." she said quietly. "What happens now?"  
  
Mercedes looked delighted.  
  
"Now, my dear, we show you where you are to live."

* * *

Author's note: well, that was it, constructive criticisim (unless you are Mishi) is gratefully accepted.


	3. in which Hermione leanrs about Amelia

Author's note: thank you gues for your reveiws, so here is my third Chapter, I will try to dole them out as fast as i possibly can, just keep the reveiws as coming. if anything is wrong with my fiction, please feel free to tell me about it so i can correct it.

Author's note (extra stuff you can ignore): was anyone else pissed of at how Draco was portrayed in the third movie? (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.)

okay, i shall cease my meaningless ramblings now and get on with the story.

* * *

Chapter III - Another Homecoming (of sorts) and Yet Another Revalation.

* * *

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace dusting the soot form her robes, she had yet to really get the hang of travel by floo powder, she figured she would have to get used to it if this was her life now.  
  
she didn't want to think about it. she occupied herself with removing everyspec of soot from her robes.  
  
Moment later, Mercedes stepped gracefully out of the fireplace not a speck of dust on her robes or in her immaculate auburn hair. Hermione frowned, thinking of how she frumpy she must look next to her glamorous mother.  
  
"Come along, Amelia." she said. "your father must return to work and so the task of showing you around your new home falls to me."  
  
Wide-eyed Hermione just followed her, she had just taken in the splendor of the room Mercedes mentioned that it was the apparition and floo power room, somehow, the place seemed to pretty to beused soley for those purposes.  
  
Mercedes was talking and Hermione's attention snapped from the enrtance hall to the woman currently talking to her. so far, she genuinely Mercedes, her mother, whatever she was supposed to call her. She was gracious and accepting that hermione would be rather reluctant about the whole situation, understanding, and although she did not look it, kindly.  
  
"Here is the foyer." She said gesturing to an entrance hall that made hogwarts look like a humble flat. She went on to show her around the grounds, the many drawing rooms, the menagerie, the kitchens, the living rooms, the breakfast enclosure, the atrium, the green house, the woodlands and finally, the living quarters. Mercedes suddenly stopped infront of tall double doors, done in the same ancient oak that the rest of the house was done in.  
  
"What room is this?" Hermione asked still a little dazed and disoriented from the whirwind tour.  
  
"Why, Amelia!" Mercedes cried. "yours of course." with that she threw open the door.  
  
She grinned, as Hermione's face registered shock.  
  
The room was done in deep deep blues and bright crimsons. There was a massive four poster bed in one corner and an equally massive writing desk, all the wood in her room was a dark cherry, the walls were cream and the curtains were a beautiful rich blue velvet. She turned back to her birth mother.  
  
"I-I..." She was unable to find the words in her throat as the tears welled up. "I'm not quite sure why I'm crying. this is-is more than i can accept from you and- i don't even know what to call you..."  
  
Mercedes smiled at her tenderly.  
  
"You need not call me mother, not until you feel the time is right." she said kindly. "Until then, you may call me Mercedes."  
  
Hermione looked at her, she was half embarassed at her emotional out burst, and also relieved, she just didn't feel comfotable enough to call this woman infront of her mother. At least, not just yet.  
  
"So what happens now?"  
  
"We're having guests over of dinner in you honor, Amelia." Mercedes told her.  
  
Hermione's eyes grew, royal consorts? coutiers?  
  
"No, none of the french court." She said as if reading hermione's mind. "Your grandmother is handling those matters and will be until you graduate, and then we will probably move back to france, however tonight is just the friends of the family."  
  
Hermione seemed to relax at this turn of events.  
  
"Just relax for a while." Mercedes said. "I'll send someone to fetch you when the guests arrive. i have feeling you won't be able to find your way back to the dinning room, god knows i wouldn't."   
  
She grinned, Hermione found herself grinning back.  
  
"See you later, Amelia."  
  
Hermione turned back to her room, deciding to give it a closer look, she found that all of her treasured books now adorned the shelves, her clothes were all meticulously put in the large walk in closet, along with some other things that definately did not belong to her.  
  
It was all happening too fast, she thought as she absent midedly walked into the large bathroom (done in pure white marble and silver fixings) and looked through her stuff. For a while, she just went through the room, looking at the parchment stationary already stamped with her name in swirly purple writing, running her hands through the bed so piled high with goose down mattresses that she needed an intricately carved stool just to get up on it. She looked at all the jewelry she now had in her possesion, some from her old life as a muggle born witch and some from her new life as this Amelia Antionette Russeux, whoever she was. The locket, the one that had started this whole thing was present among the other beautiful pieces of jewelry. Hermione really had to fight the urge to flush it down the toilette. She suddenly had this overwhelming hatred of it, as if it had been its fault that she was so confused now, and right before her seventh year no less as if she didn' have NEWT's to worry about.  
  
Stupid locket.  
  
No matter how insane it was to blame an inanimate pice of metal, Hermione had to blame it on someone, anyone.  
  
She still felt rather guilty for leaving behind her parents, but at the same time she was glad she could leave after that kind of a revelation. After that she had suddenly felt like an outsider in her parent's house, the house she had come to look at as her home. She felt stifled there, like a freak, an annomaly, her parents would never admit it to her but she knew they feared her magical abilities, she saw the small frown her mother tried valiantly to hide when ever she mentioned anything magical. She figured she could separate her worlds, but she knew that that was not fair to her, a great witch like her did not deserve to be squestered in a normal muggle household feeling sorry for her powers any more than these two normal dentist deserved to have a daughter that they were afraid of. Her magic was like anything else Hermione had ever done, she needed to get everything she could out of it. Be the best at it, and she couldn't do that if a part of her held herself back simply because she was afraid of what her parents may say or might think.  
  
But still. they had raised her, as Dumbledore said, they had made her their own, how could she have walked away from them? How could it be so easy for her to desert them. She knew how much it must have pained her mother to see her only child walk through the fireplace with out a single glance back or even a "thanks" or a "goodbye."  
  
Inwardly, she cursed her temper, if she had not been so angry she would not be in this position to begin with.  
  
Deciding not to worry about it any longer (at least for tonight, she had enough to deal with). She had made her decision, she could not turn her back on it now. She pulled out on of her books and curled up in one of the comfortable arm chairs, she immersed herself in the comforting world of books. it was here that she felt comfortable, at least this much had not changed.  
  
An unmeasurable ammount of time later she heard a knock on her door, jerking her out of the trance like state she often fell into when she was reading. Thinking better of calling out for them to come in, Hermione walked up to the door and opened it surprised to meet face to face with a blonde boy with silver eyes.

  
  
"Granger?" Draco Malfoy demanded, for he was indeed the boy who fit the deciption. "what the hell are you doing here."  
  
Hermione narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I live here, Malfoy," she said icily. "I could very well ask you the very same question."  
  
Malfoy did not say anything for a moment, his mind was racing, could it be? Granger? The Goody-goody mudblood? Could she be the one? The girl his parents had told him about? Amelia Ruseux?  
  
"Mercedes sent me up here to pick up her daughter, Amelia, which, i now suppose is you." He explained rather absently.  
  
Hermione frowned but nodded.   
  
"Its time for dinner, then?" she asked.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Hurry up, granger," Malfoy said sounding like himself for a second. "I don't want to spend more time than I have to with you."  
  
Deciding that countering would only make the situation worse, Hermione just glared at the pale haired wizard who was currently leading her through the halls. She prayed to anyone who was listening that he was not setting her up to get lost in this place.  
  
As luck would have it, he seemed to be ignoring her.  
  
Well, that was just as well, she could do the same to him.  
  
It was probably better this way, she was pointedly ignoring him and he seemed deep in thought no bickering was heard in the halls of Russeux Manor. After a while, Hermione realized he was thinking about somehting. (she had to bite back a derisive snort.) She did not snap him out of his reverie, however, because Malfoy silent was possibly the very best way to deal with him. To her great relief, he lead her striaght to the dinning room with out looking up even once.  
  
Hermione found it rather dusturbing that he knew the lay out of her manor better than she did.  
  
Malfoy threw open the oaken doors revealing the long formal table Hermione had seen earlier she saw her parents, Lucius, Narcissa and two other people she could not name sitting with a girl from her year.  
  
"Granger?" the girl asked, she had been recognized immidiately.  
  
Before she could say anything, Mercedes showed her where to sit down and she complied but she was aware of the curious stared coming her way.  
  
"Aren't you Hermione granger?" the girl asked.  
  
"Blaise!" a woman sitting to her left, and obviously Blaise's mother chastised.  
  
Ah, Blaise Zambini, that was her name, her own year, a Slytherin.  
  
"I thought I was," Hermione replied. "but i'm not."  
  
Blaise cocked her head to one side making her long, straight black hair swish to one side, and studied Hermione. Not a minute later she shook her head and let whatever she had been thinking go. Hermione remembered Malfoy had done the exact same thing when he had spoked to her earlier. She wondered what they knew and she didn't.  
  
They had all settled down to eat. After about ten minutes of rather awkward silence, Narcissa bravely spoke.  
  
"So, Amelia will be staying with you until-" she stopped in the middle of her sentence when she caught the looks Lucius, Phillippe and Mercedes were shooting her. She looked at them expectantly.  
  
Hermione noticed this and looked expectantly at Mercedes.  
  
Mercedes looked just a little worried.  
  
"Until what?" Hermione wanted to know. "please, Mrs. Malfoy, continue." she said.  
  
The blonde woman smiled graciously.  
  
"Narcissa, Amelia, please." she insisted. "Mrs. Malfoy is Lucius' mother."  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Narcissa then." she corrected, but before Narcissa answered, Mercedes jumped in.  
  
"Amelia, Dumbledore wanted to keep this from you for just a little longer, he said it would be too much to take, but not a week after you were born you were betrothed." she said looking rather uncomfotable.  
  
Hermione nodded, she knew that betrothals were not uncommon among wizarding famillies, rich or poor. She had a feeling such a topic would come up. She just hoped that whoever they chose would at least be good looking.  
  
"Who's the lucky guy?" Hermione asked trying to ease the weight that had suddenly taken up residence on her chest. This was not going to be good, something told her, not going to be good at all.  
  
Phillippe spared her a grin for her effort. She grinned back. It was again Mercedes, however, who spoke.  
  
"Draco Malfoy."  
  
Hermione felt her insides grow cold. somehow, she could not react ot this, she just sat there and pressed her lips together. Her face turned almost completely white. Mercedes and Phillipe exchanged looks, but Hermione was too far gone to notice. A million thoughts were running though her head at that very moment.  
  
She was the one.   
  
She was the girl in her dream, she was going to marry Malfoy, and she could do nothing about it... she knew about wizarding betrothals. She had read enough about it to know that there was no possible way to get out of it. unless well, she died but she was not nearly stupid enough to kill herself because of him.  
  
"Amelia, why don't you children go upstairs," Phillipe siad, his voice finally cutting into her thoughts.  
  
Hermione stared at him for just a second but then took her queue to leave. She rose, ignoring her half-eaten plate (she no longer had the appetite to eat anything.)  
  
She barely registered Malfoy and Blaise Zambini with her, her mind was still trying to comprehend the million things that had been revealed to her today. Before she knew it, she was in her room. In a daze she sat down on her bad and just stared off into space.  
  
Draco and Blaise traded looks. Draco just snapped back to his usual poker face. He pointedly ignored Granger and stood as far as he could possibly stand while still being in the premises of her room leaving Blaise to deal with the seething Hermione.  
  
"Its not so bad." Blaise said, she realized right as soon as she had said so, that it was not the thing to say.   
  
Hermione gave her a long, hard look.  
  
"Are you the one who is stuck marrying Malfoy?" she demanded. "honestly, Blaise Zambini-"  
  
"I suggest you do not do that." The boy in question told her.   
  
"Do what?" she asked stubbornly, glad she and Malfoy were fighting, it made her feel more like herself. "Marry you? Because honestly, i'm not really counting down the seconds."  
  
Malfoy scowled at her.  
  
"i meant, call me Malfoy." he replied. His voice was tight, he was just barely covering up his annoyance. "my name is Draco and for now, you may call me as such, after all you are living in a house that is often populated by Malfoys, there is bound to be some confusion."  
  
"My house is populated by Malfoys?" Hermione demanded. "Oh great, this and the whole princess thing, i'm really starting to regret my decision."  
  
She was finally given an oulet in which to vent her frustration. well, thst was one good way of looking at agruing with Mal- Draco. She might as well just call him that, it didn't mean she was getting friendly with him or anything. It was practical.  
  
"I believe I can clear this up." Blaise said stepping in between the two if them before the looming fight really broke out. When that happened she fully planned to be elsewhere, Draco would probably rant abut it later, anyway, and she would get all the details. Right now, she faced Hermione. "ever since the graduation from Hogwarts, our famillies have been exceptionally close, the three most powerful and influensial famillies in the wizarding world. The Ruseux's, The Malfoy's and The Zambini's, we all visit and talk and interact with one another in such a constant basis that our own manors, not matter where we are in real life, seem to bleed into each other. Certain doors that lead to rooms in the other manors, the same spells used over them to ward of the Ministry's magic sensors, excetera"  
  
Hermione nodded with out really listening. she was too busy finding a way to make the betrothal Draco's fault.  
  
"Blaise!"   
  
Hermione turned to the door.  
  
"My mother." Blaise said not looking the least bit jolted that the sound was amplified straight up the flights of stairs and into Hermione's bedroom passed the closed door. "Giselle Zambini, I'm not sure you were introduced"  
  
"i was." Hermione replied.  
  
Blaise nodded.  
  
"and by the way, that is a very simple charm called the Sonorus Kinderium something parents use to call their children." she added as if reading Hermione's mind. "It does feel rather patronizing, however, all wizard parents use them. Now, if you two would excuse me, I'll be back when I arrive." she said she shot Draco a grin and flounced out of the room.   
  
Basically, she was leaving Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger in a room together, alone.  
  
And we all know just how dangerous that would be.

* * *

Author's note: okay, next chapter will be up as soon as i can... but that's only if i have enough reveiws. good ones. :)

to all you potential flamers out there, i'm osry if you didn't like my wwork of fiction. plsease take note that it is just that, a work of fiction and take your flames elsewhere.

Thank you!


	4. in which Hermione is alone with Draco

Author's note: okay, I'm really sorry for any grammatical errors, wrong spellings, captializations and I'd really hate is someone didn't read my story on account of those things. If you don't like my story please let it be because of the writing, or how i portrayed the characters or the story line and no my errors. thank you. and now that that's done,

i would really like to thank NOTAMONKEY128, i had no idea what to do with this trifle of a fic and you gave me a really great suggestion! so thanks so much for that and if anyone has anymore suggestions please note that they are all welcome.

and now, on with the story.

* * *

Chapter IV - The Consequesnces of Leaving Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger Alone Together

* * *

There was silence for a few tense moments as soon as Blaise walked out the door. Draco and Hermione just stared at each other, both sizing the other up as if they were metally looking for weaknesses.  
  
"You know we can't get out of this, right granger?" Draco snapped at her.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Honestly, Malfoy do you think i'm an idiot-"  
  
"Do you honestly want me to answer that question, Mudblood?"  
  
Hermione's eyes flashed with anger.  
  
One thing Draco should have learned long ago: never piss of a smart girl, especially if she had just found out that she was really a long lost magical princess after she had been taunted about being a mudblood her entire life. Well, it may be an obscure lesson but it was one Draco should have learned long ago, for it would have prepared him for this moment.  
  
"I. Am. Not. A. Mudblood." She said her voice was raised ever so slightly. The danger that she thought was evident in her words had no effect on Draco. He just stood there, and he was smirking. It was at that point that Hermione lost it. There was no way in hell she would ever learn to love this ball of slime."I AM NOT A MUDLBLOOD! Do you hear me? You stupid, inbred little ferret!"  
  
Draco just continued smirking at her as Hermione began cursing at him with words he never would have throught she knew. He was glad Mercedes was way out of earshot, she probably would not be too pleased if she heard Hermione curse like this. Such language was not used by on of her station.  
  
"You may be a pureblood to everyone else's standards, Granger," He said his voice was impassive. He did not even flinch at her uproar. "But not to me. you will always be a common little mudblood to me."  
  
Hermione stared at him, her hazel eyes alight with fury.  
  
SMACK.  
  
She mustered up her strength and slapped him as hard as she possibly could. Unfortunately he had develouped since their third year and instead of staggering back, his head barely snapped to one side, he was no less angry though. Only he had learned long ago to use his temper as a weapon and loosing it would only give his enemy the upper hand.  
  
"That only serves to prove my point, Granger." he said, his voice was level but she could see traces of his anger as it flitted across his face. "Only a common little mudblood would ever loose control at such small proddings."  
  
Hermione just stared at him in wordless rage. She searched her memory for any time he might have lost his own composure but she turned up with nothing and he knew it. Damn him!  
  
He smirked.  
  
Hermione clenched her fists, it was all she could do to keep rom reaching out and wiping that self satisfied smirk off the damned ferret's face.  
  
Do it and you are only serving to prove his point. do it and you are only serving to prove his point. She repeated over and over in her head metally stamping down on the irresistable urge to get the silver letter opener she had sitting on her deak and stabbing Draco through the heart with it.   
  
This was a very horribly thought out plan because of a few factors. One, she would probably do nothing more than ruin his shirt, he had not heart to speak of; and two, if she lost control now and just smacked him she would feel good for a second but she would only be pushing her self down lower.  
  
"You are just jealous, Draco." she forced herself to do calmly and not spit them in her face like she really, really, wanted to. "Because I always got better grades than you."  
  
She smirked at the surprise that appeared on his icy features.  
  
"Check those transcripts again, Granger." Malfoy snapped, his voice a degree colder than usual. "You'll find that you are mistaken."  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Yeah, probably, you've already had time to meddle with them, honestly, Draco." She went on, her voice was tight but controlled, she knew she was getting to him. Finally. "Can't you do anything by yourself? did you have to get Daddy to talk to the mean teachers for you?"  
  
And that's when she realized she had stepped just a little too far.  
  
"That, mudblood, is completly false and you know it." His voice was low and dangerous. It was almost a whisper but Hermione caught every single word he uttered. "It would be in you best interests if you were never to repeat that slander again."  
  
Surprised at this sudden change in Draco's demeanor. She was disturbed at how much it affected her, her heart rate had practically doubled and she was sweating? was she was scared of Draco?  
  
Pull yourself together, Hermione, he can't harm you.  
  
Althought she knew her inner voice was right, it was hard to do so the way he was looking at her right now. She forced herself to deny the urge to take a step back. She would never give him that satisfaction. She stood at her full five-three and he still towered over her, but she refused to be the simpering, submissive wife. Not when the thought of marrying Draco Malfoy revulsed her more than she had ever thought possible.  
  
He looked as if he was going to do something when there was a sudden call of,  
  
"Draco!"  
  
Draco stopped in his tracks. Wordlessly, he turned on his heel and exited the room. As soon as the had closed behind him (closed mind you not slammed as she would have done) Hermione sighed.  
  
"What the hell have i gotten myself into?"  
  
She turned to one of the fluffly velvety throw pillows, grabbed the letter opened and stabbed it, repeatedly until ints fluffy white feather insides were all over the place. She proceded to do the same with every single other pillow se had. And then she grabbed the down comforter on her bed and whirled it around over her head creating the biggest mess in her life.  
  
In her head all she could think of was that everything was wrong. She knew messing up her room was not going to do her any better, but somehow she felt immensely good to get everything out of her system. She quickly cast a sound proofing speel around he room and began screaming.  
  
"Why me?" she deamnded of the ruined room. "Why are you doing this to me? Couldn't I have been left alone? Couldn't I have been a princess only? No! you had to add that stupid bouncing ferret to the equasion! why! why! why! why! why! why! WHY!"  
  
She crumbled to the floor sobbing unconrtolably. She flicked her wand around the room and muttered a spell. In a second the room went back to the way that it was, but that last bit of effort sapped the last of her energy.   
  
She was emotionally and physically exhausted.  
  
Somehow, she found the extra strength to wobble over to her bed and throw herself between the covers, not bothering to change out of the robes she had changed into earlier that evening. 

* * *

author's note: i'm sorry its shorter than usual... and if you are NOTAMONKEY128, i agree with you, i don't like betrothal fics that are all smoochie after like, ten minutes.


	5. in which Hermione bonds with her birth m...

Author's Note: okay, fifth chapter! keeps the reveiws coming!

okay, i'm really hyper, just sharing.

* * *

Chapter V - Bonding with Mum

* * *

"Amelia?"  
  
Hermione burrowed deeper and deeper into the covers. Who was the Amelia that annoying voice was talking about?  
  
"Amelia?"  
  
It was the voice's dulcet tones that really got to Hermione's attention, didn't she know someone who sounded like that?  
  
She was half awake and everything that had happened the previous day came crashing down upon her.  
  
Amelia. that's right, me... sort of.  
  
She moaned loudly and sat up in bed to see Mercedes sitting in an arm chair next to her. She was holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate and next to her on an elegant side table was another mug, presumably for Hermione. It was dark out and Hermione could hear the evidence of a thunderstorm, she could hear rain pattering on the roof. Even here in her warm bed, Hermione felt the chill in the air, hot chocolate was jus the thing to remedy that, how had mercedes known?  
  
"Good morning." Mercedes said smiliing.  
  
"Morning," Hermione replied.  
  
Mercedes handed her the mug of hot chocolate, it even had marshmallows in it.  
  
"I figured you'd still be a little hesitant to face Phillipe and I." She said graciously. "I'm sure you still aren't completely comfortable around us, but, well, my own mother used to bring me hot chocolate in the morning when it rained and I thought maybe you would enjoy it too, and I'm quite sure an intelligent witch like you would have questions."  
  
Hermione sipped the drink. It was delicious.   
  
"I guess I do have some."  
  
Mercedes grinned.  
  
"Fire away."  
  
Hermione marveled at how Mercedes managed to look elegant even when she was sharing hot chocolate with her daughter in a nightgown and an elegant over robe. She doubted the finery of her clothing had anything to do with it.  
  
"This whole royalty thing," She began hesitantly. Mercedes nodded for her to continue. "I mean, I'm really going to be a princess? and rule France?"  
  
Mercedes nodded.  
  
"Indeed you will, but don't worry about it." She said. "You will have help."  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Oh, yes, I forgot I have the great and all-powerful Malfoy by my side." she said, it came out more bitter than she expected. She searched Mercedes's face. After all, she did not have the right to complain about that.  
  
To her surprise her birth-mother just shook her head, she was also grinning in amusement.   
  
"No, you won't only have Draco, courtiers, an enitre panel of royal counsels." Mercedes answered. "but you won't have to worry about that for quite a while, yet, I'm still a princess, you're Grandmother and Granfather are still running France and they will until they die or abdicate, then and only then will your father and I ascend the throne. You have a ways to go yet, Amelia."  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Uhm, Mercedes, could you possibly not, not call me Amelia?" She asked. She hoped Mercedes would not be disappointed but the woman looked rather embarassed.  
  
"Why yes, of course!" She cried. "how utterely embarrassing! I'm so sorry, dear I should have asked you if you were comfortable being refered to as Amelia. I so suppose I could call you Hermione if that would make you more comfortable."  
  
Feeling as though a great weight had been lifted of her shoulders, Hermione shook her head.  
  
"I don't think I am Hermione Granger anymore." she admitted quietly. "I'm not sure who i am anymore."  
  
Mercedes nodded, she wanted to tell her daughter that she understood, that she did not mind that Amel-Hermione was not yet ready to embrace this whole thing. She wanted to tell her daughter that she understood that she was going to need sometime. But somehow, she sensed that the younger girl in front of her already knew. She had asked a subtle question when she had asked not to be called Amelia.  
  
"What shall I call you then?" Mercedes asked.  
  
Hermione thought for a moment. It was the last thing she had that connected her to her old life. She realized now that going back wasn't an option and clinging to her old life with all her might would not bring it back. She wasn't even sure that she would, anymore.   
  
She was no longer sure she could stand her parent's normalcy.   
  
She mentally snorted. Just day in this splendor, one single day, and she did not wish to return to being plain old Hermione. After everything she had learned in the last twenty four hours, she didn't feel like the same Hermione anymore.  
  
Like she had grown out of that skin.   
  
Now, for the final thing to shut the door on her previous existence.   
  
Her name.   
  
Maya? Mione? Herm? Hemi? too much Hermione... she was not that girl anymore. Amelia? Antoinette? Antonia? Toinette? too much of Amelia Antoinette Ruseux, someone Hermione was not sure she was yet. A part of her still clung to Hermione no matter how hard the rest of her wanted to shake it off. Mia? a little bit of Hermione, but not too much to stop her from becoming Amelia.  
  
"Mia." She said finally.  
  
Mercedes nodded, curling up in the arm chair with her hot chocolate getting more comfortable.  
  
"Mia." she said testing it out. "Well, I like it, and I'm sure Phillipe will like it, and if he dosen't well, he will just have to deal won't he?"  
  
Hermione, now christened Mia, joined her birth mother in quiet laughter. The air in the room changed, it was still cold and wet and rainy out side, but inside this room, it had just become a little warmer.  
  
Author's note: I apologise in advance if any of my chapters are confusing because of Hermione's new name, Mercedes, Phillipe and the Malfoy's and Zambini's exclusing Blaise and Draco all call her Mia. The ominicient narrator calls her Hermione unless otherwise mentioned.

* * *

also any resemblance of the name Mia from Amelia to the girl in The Princess Diaries (which also does not belong to me but to Meg Cabot. by the way) is not intended, I just like the name.

so anyway, i'll update as soon as i can.


	6. in which Hermione embraces her heritage

Author's note: i'm not so sure about the name Mia... but it seemed the easiest way to incorporate Hermione into a royal sounding name. if anyone out there can helpt me, please, please do! thank you!

* * *

Chapter VI - Learning to be a Pure Blood

* * *

Hermione was grinning as Mercedes had bid her a nice day and told her she would be seeing her later.

It was then that a major wave of doubt and guilt just had to appear out of nowhere.

She felt horrible for liking this woman, Mercedes Russeux. As if by accepting her, she was betraying Georgina Granger, her own mother who had raised her from a baby. This brought a wave of anger due to the fact that she remembered Georgina Granger had lied to her for her enitre life.

Oh God, she was so confused.

Someone knocked on the door.

"come in." she cried absently, she was completely engrossed in her own thoughts.

Blaise Zambini entered the room silently and closed the door behind her.

"Hi, Hermione." she greeted in what she hoped was a cheerfully, friendly voice. Blaise was not used to being cheerful, she was even less used to being friendly, But Hermione was one of them now, so the necessary tact had to be observed.

To her great surprise, the brown haired witch burst into tears.

Well, reducing people to tears Blaise was used to, but that was not really what she had been going for.

"uh," she said walking up to the sobbing girl, not really sure what to do. reaching her hand out to pat her, "Hermione?"

"Don't call me that!" Hermione screamed slapping her hand down on her comforter.

Needless to say, Blaise retracted her hand.

"What do i call you, then?"

Between sobbs, Hermione was able to tell the black haired witch her new name.

Blaise nodded.

"well, you cetainly don't _sound_ like a 'Mia'." she said cooly.

Hermione's head snapped up. Her face was red and mottled, her hair was tangled and she still had tear tracks running down her face, she did not look her best at this moment, and it was highlighted by the large scowl on her face.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"you do not look at all like a pureblood of you station should look." Blaise told her simply. she was not being a snob, nor was she being malicious about it, she was simply telling Hermione as it was.

she chose to ignore that comment.

Blaise began to sit in one of the arm chairs when a high pitched yowl stopped her.

"What is this infernal ball of orange yarn doing here?" she demanded.

Hermione stepped out of her bed, she was still wearing the robe of yesterday, it was all crumppled.

Blaise bit her lip. Hermione had a long way to go.

"That's my cat!" she cried. "Crookshanks."

Blaise looked down at the ginger furred feline.

"Right." she said. Then she turned back to Hermione. "Anyway, Draco told me about you er-conversation yesterday."

Hermione had been fussing over cat, but as soon as Blaise had mentioned the magic word (Draco) her head snapped up and she glared at Blaise.

"And frankly," Blaise continued. "i agree with him."

Hermione's glare intensified.

"you are still a muggle-born." Blaise continued, not affected at all by Hermione's murderous glare. "and only because you still think of yourself as one, honestly, Hermione,"

"Its Mia." Hermione corrected.

Blaise shook her head.

"Not even _you_ believe that." she said. "You need to believe it before you can convince anyone, Hermione. Like it or not, you are missing something, Mercedes sees it, but she will never comment upon it sne thinks you will come to it in time, and you will, its in your veins."

"How can you presume to know so much about me?" Hermione demanded she was holding on to Crookshanks and stroking her.

"Don't you think that Draco and i went through the same thing?" Blaise asked. "you aren't the only one who is decended from royalty, Hermione, you are just the only one who still has a crown in her bedroom."

Hermione listened wordlessly, still petting her cat.

"indeed." she said. "the Zabini's were the royal family of Italy, as were the Malfoy's of England. All the countries had them, Hermione, france had the Russeux's, Ireland has the Finn's, Germany and the Schnabel's, Spain and the Del Rosario's."

She shrugged.

"You came here to critisize me, Blaise?" Hermione demanded. "well, you've done your part, I feel horrible are you happy now?"

Blaise shook her head.

"If you think I am here to make you feel bad about youself, Hermione, I am afraid you are mistaken." she said.

"what are you here for, then?" Hermione asked tiredly.

"I am here to help you become Amelia Russeux," she said. "its stifling, I know, Purebloods are always expected to be the best, and that's why Draco always resented the others, the half-bloods and the muggle-borns not all of them grew up with magic, so no one has high expectations for them. you are just lucky that I am here to help you through it."

Hermione stared at this girl as if she was completely out of her mind.

Just where did Blaise get off thinking she needed her help? Did she think Hermion-Mia was not good enough for all of this?

Blaise exhaled, had it been anyone else, it would have been classifed as a sigh.

"I know what you are thinking, but you cannot do this alone, Hermione." she said. "first order of business, the cat has to go."

Hermione clutched Crookshanks protectively.

Baise rolled her eyes.

"I mean out of the room." she said. "I'm rather allergic to cats."

Hermione stared at Blaise for a long moment, the black haired girl really looked as if she wanted to help. And as much as Hermio-Mia wanted to deny it to herself, she could not do this alone, the transition was just too big.

finally, she sighed coming to her decision. She opened the door and let Crookshanks out, the cat happy to be free trotted away to find some mice to chase. Hermione, however, turned back to Blaise.

"Okay." she said. "Tell me what i need to know."

Blaise shook her head.

"You don't need to know anything." she said. "You need to be told that you made the right choice."

Hermione just stared at her, how could Blaise know exactly how she was feeling? how on earth did she manage to get all these complicated and confusing thoughts summed up into one sentence that would make it all better?

"H-how do you _do_ that?" She demanded.

Blaise smirked, a self-satsfied twist of lips that would have even made Draco Malfoy proud.

"Spend all your life as Draco Malfoy's best friend and you begin to get really perceptive." She answered. "He dosen't give you much to work with, and compared to him, you are an opn book."

Hermione considered this.

"Well, if you two get along so famously, then why aren't you the one marrying him?" she asked curiously.

"That is a very good question, to answer that," Blaise said considering her words for a moment. "You were born first."

Hermione arched an eyebrow.

"Draco was born August the eleventh, and unless I am very much mistaken, which I doubt, your birthday is August twnety-seven." She waited for Hermione's nod. "I did not come until November Third. Answer your question?"

Hermione nodded.

"I really can't get out of this, can I?"

Blaise shook her head.

"If it makes you feel any better, Draco is considering suicide for the very first time since I've known him." She said shrugging lightly, (Hermione should have picked up on something fishy at this moment, Blaise never shrugge) "He said you weren't good enough. That he'd rather marry Potter."

Hermione's eyes flashed.

"Said he'd rather marry Harry did he?" She demanded furiously. "Oh, that damned ferret! I'll show him."

She stomped into her closet intent on being beautiful. He thought she was not good enough huh? well, she would show him good enough. She pulled her hair into an extremely messy top knot.

"Do you know what that fink said to me, Blaise?" she demanded.

"What did he say, Hermione?" Blaise replied barely managing to conceal her wince at hermione's appearance. "do you know that you have a dead animal tied to your head?"

hermione ignored the second part.

"That stupid ferret said that I was still a common little mu-well, a horrible name for a muggle born!" she ranted. "That vile scum-bag!"

"you know, he's right?" Blaise piped up at the thresh hold.

Hermione whirled on her.

"what?" she demanded.

"purebloods are expected to be well," she looked Hermione up and down. from her wild frizzy hair to her tear stained, blotchy cheeks and her rumpled robe to her bare feet. "a little more... more... you have a long way to go, Hermione, no offense meant to you."

Hermione continued her hard glare. Blaise was right, she was still hermione but she needed to incorporate Amelia into something that was distictly her. learning to be Amelia would be the best course of action to take, especially if she wanted to show up that damnable ferret. Harumph! mudblood indeed. He wanted a pure-blood? Oh, he would get pure-blood.

"you are going to teach me, Blaise." Hermione said.

Blaise pretended to be surprised. Then she nodded.

"Iwould be honored to, Hermione." she said. she should savor the moment, she could manipulate Hermione now, but when Blaise was finished, nieve little Hermione Granger would be long gone and oh, Blaise would revel in Draco's face when he saw what she would do for her. "I really would."

* * *

AN:the next chap is typed up and soon to come. :) 


	7. in which Hermione is missed by her frien...

Author's note: let's take a holiday from the confusing mind of hermione Granger and see to the other two people who are very important in Madame Rowling's master piece though have been ignored in mine.

* * *

Chapter VII - The Other 2/3's of the Golden Trio.

* * *

"You sure you have everything, boy?" Uncle Vernon demanded of Harry Potter, surveying his trunk and owl, wincing at the latter. Once again he darted his eyes around, making sure none of the nieghbors were watching. "Because we wouldn't want to have to come back to fetch it now, eh?"

Harry scowled at him. His uncle was right, he didn't have any wish to return to the Dursley's. If he was lucky, this would be the very last time he saw his aunt and uncle and their corpulent blob of a son. Harry was entering his seventh and very last year of Hogwarts and hopefully he could go straight to Auror training and never set his eyes on the damned Privet Drive ever again.

Unfortunately for him, the Dursley's decided to make a big show of sending him off, petunia however was not very convincing and Dudley looked as if he wanted nothing more than to go back into his room and finish of whatever junk he was watching on TV.

"yes, uncle Vernon." he replied, all he had to do was steel himself for just a few more minutes, Ron would be here any minute and then he was of the the burrow and then to hogwarts.

Uncle vernon grunted.

"so how is this, John friend of yours coming?" he asked. "he wouldn't be making a _scene_ would he?"

Harry fought to keep his eyes from rolling. After all these years, Uncle Vernon and his brood was still deathly afraid that his neighbors would find out that they had ties to (shudder) _magical folk._

Freaks.

"No, Uncle vernon." Harrry said fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

His uncle nodded, satisfied for the moment.

Aunt Petunia kept darting her eyes from watching the neighbors, to the road to the fire place. She kept her eyes longest at the fire place due to an unfortunate accident three years ago before Harry's fouth year when the Weasley's had come to pick Harry up for the Quidditch Wold Cup. They had all arrived by floo powder only to find that the Dursley's had boarded it up.

Harry sighed, hoping that Ron was somwhere close by, he could not take much more of this, he already had to put up with everything for almost the _entire _summer.

Luckily, not a minute later, an impressive black town car pulled up infront of the Dursley's. Uncle Vernon actually looked surprised, and mildly impressed.

The door opened and a grinning Ron stepped out of it. Upon seeing the boy, Dudley squeaked, clutching his mouth and ran into the house. This was also due to the event three years hence. Ron's older twin brothers, Fred and George, had planted Ton Tongue Toffee which he had inadvertently picked up and guzzled, true to their name, the candy made his tongue swell to massive proprtions.

Ron did his very best to stifle his grin and ignore Harry's fleshy cousin. Instead, he turned to his best friend.

"H'llo, Harry." He greeted cheerfully.

"Ron." Harry replied grinning, glad that the red headed wizard was finally here.

Ron extended his arm towards Uncle Vernon who stared at it for a full five seconds, then his beady eyes shifted up to Ron's. Ron realized his miguided attempt at politeness was ill revieced. he extracted his hand.

Harry rolled his eyes and started to pile his stuff into the boot with the help of Ron. When they had finished, they both turned back to Uncle Venon and Aunt Petunia, both of whom had extremely ugly scowls pasted on their faces.

"Well, bye." Harry said.

The scolws did not change.

Ron had to duck back into the car to stifle his laughter. Harry just shook his hed and climbed into the car.

"The Burrow." Ron annunciated clearly.

At once the car started off down the street, Harry realized that there was no one behind the wheel. Funny, he could have sworn he had seen someone earlier. he turned to Ron to see his best friend was smiling knowingly.

"Dad had a ministry car come pick you." he said. "He didn't think that coming by floo power of magic carpet was a good idea."

Harry chuckled.

"Yeah, he would be right." He replied. "So what has been happening since I have been cut off from the wizarding world. Can you believe the Dursley's still won't let me receive the Daily prophet?"

Ron shook his head sympathetically.

"Nothing's happening yet, just your basic ministry stuff." he said uninterestedly. "Voldemort is lying low. The death-eater attacks have been few and far between lately."

"That's not what i meant."

Ron's face brightened immidiately.

"the Chudley Cannons are in the semi-finals!" he cried exitedly.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"honestly, Ron, I don't care what those plonker's in deep fried robes are doing." he said. "Tell me about Puddlemere United!"

Harry had been following Puddlemere since his old team captain, and friend, Oliver Wood had joined the reseve team.

Ron shoved Harry playfully.

Harry realized somthing.

"Wait a second, Ron, aren't we going to pick up Hermione?" he asked.

At the mention of Hermione's name, Ron's ears turned slightly pink.

"Well, uhm, I haven't been able to contact her." he said.

Ron had been enamoured with Hermione ever since second year, and it was really beginning to get pathetic.

"Really?" Harry asked, ignoring his friend's reaction. "Usually Hermione's more prompt with her replies."

Ron nodded.

"I haven't spoken with her since King's cross." he said.

"Really?" Harry asked, he racked his brain trying to think of the last time he had spoke to his other bestfriend. "Me neither, come to think of it."

"Could she have gone back to Paris?" Ron sugggested.

Harry shook her head,

"She didn't have any problem contacting us last time."

"She mentioned something way back about summer camp, do you think she could have done something like that?" Ron asked.

Harry started laughing.

"What?" ron demanded.

"You pay that much attention to her, Ron?" he asked.

Ron schlumped.

"Is it really that obvious?" he asked.

"Ron," Harry said. "just be glad Hermione can be as dense as she can be intelligent."

Ron shook his head.

"She's not dense!" he cried loyaly. "She's perfect, just the way she is."

Harry nodded solemnly.

"You know, Ron." he said. "You really impress me."

"I do?" Ron asked quirking his eye brows.

"Yeah, mate, you do." the black haired wizard replied. "Just when i think you can't get any more queer-"

Ron shoved harry again and they both laughed, both were glad to be amongst best friends once again, but both of them really missed the last member of their golden trio.

* * *

AN: for a while i'll be switching from the Burrow to Hermione's palace to Malfoy manor. enjoy.


	8. in which Hermione is talked about

Author's note: I am soo sorry! Its been so long since I last updated but I have had so much on my hands... But at least this update will be a Whopper.

* * *

Chapter VIII - Anger Managment

* * *

It had been two weeks since Hermione had demanded Blaise instruct her to be the perfect pure blood. Frankly, Blaise had thought the task impossible for a while there, but she persevered. Now all she had to do was sit back and watch as the sparks flew, and she was wholly looking forward to that.

The witch in question was curretly sitting on one of the green couches in Draco Malfoy's room while she waited for him to return from his potions laboratory, she was not at all uncomfortable that she was in his room while he was not. It wasn't long until she heard the tell-tale steps of the blonde wizard.

Upon opening the door, Draco was not at all surprised at seeing Blaise in his room. After all, it was not unusual for her to drop by unannouced every so often during their summer, but for the last week of so, Blaise had been previously occupied.

"what do you want, Blaise?" He asked barely resisting the uge to run a hand through his hair, he was not in a good mood. He had not been since he found out that Saint Potter's girlfriend was the one he had been told he was going to marry. (this would mean about a week of mopeyness which was much even for a muggle, for Draco Malfoy it was staggering.) He had known about _her _since even before he could remember. "Why don't you go bother Miles?"

Blaise grinned. Draco was reffering to another one of their mutually trusted friends, Miles Flaherty.

"He's in Ireland." She said "Remember?"

Inwardly Draco groaned, he was simply not in the mood to entertain her.

"Why, nothing at all, Draco,I was bored." She said. "AndI have decided to come here and bother you."

Draco exhaled slowly.

Blaise noticed this and smirked.

Draco was trying to conrol that stormy temper of his. Obviously, he had been really unsettled about this betrothal thing, and she planned to exploit that for her own enjoyment. And before any objections are made, Draco would do the same had the roles been reversed.

"This whole marrige thing is really bothering you is it not, Draco?" She asked trying to keep the smirk out of her voice.

Draco quirked a pale eyebrow.

_Ooh, this was going to be fun. _

Blaise was really the only witch in Hogwarts brave enough to toy with Draco Malfoy's temper, she knew that he would never hurt her, and she also knew that even if he might try and hurt Hermione he could not, under the binding spell of the betrothal, neither person can harm the other.

"What do you think, Blaise?" He asked rhetorically crossing the room to stand infront of her. "No, I'm completely estactic to marry and create offspring with that common wretch."

Blaise rolled her eyes.

"Its not like you have never had a, how do you say it? A common wretch?" She said indictaing Draco's many _extra-curricular_ activities.

Draco's tone did not change.

"This is different." He said. "I'm marrying her, that means I'm bound to her for more than just a single night."

"She's pure blooded." Blaise said knowingly full well what she would get as a reply. She was baiting him shamelessly, (something dreadfully akin to waving your bleeding hand around a shark and daring it to bite you) and having fun doing it. "That should count for something right?"

Draco stared at her.

"What are you playing at Blaise?" He demanded getting up and started inspecting his room for any traces of dust. Checking his bookshelves and writing desk, he dragged his finger across and peering at it carefully. "Honestly? you are well aware ofmy feeling on this situation, she's-well, she's Granger, that's more than enough reason for me to dread the entire occasion."

Blaise was well used to Draco's quirk of needing to make sure everything within a mile radius of him was in order and completely spotless, especially when he was upset. Usually he would just let the house elves worry about that, but every so often he would go obssesive compulsive and _clean_ everything in sight. She just watched him, determinening wether of not it would be a good idea to sneeze just to piss him off and ruin the prisine-ness of his room.

"I know." She said. She glanced at him re-arranging his books. "Honesly, Draco, you are being such a woman."

Draco glared at her, his silver eyes cold. Any other Slytherin would have been already squrming but Blaise just reached over and shifted the beddings. At once, Draco's attention wavered from her to his green bed sheet.

Oh, he was really upset.

Draco only got obsessive about order when he felt like his life had none of it at a given time. He cleaned and went about his room straightening things up because he felt that these were the only things he could control. Blaise knew that when ever he cleaned up his own room, Draco was in a bad mood, a really bad mood. And from the looks of it, right now, even she would have to tread lightly.

"This is out of my hands, Blaise." He said.

But by this time, Blaise wasn't listening. She was just staring at the green comforter, made of the softest three hundred count egyptian cotton. It was still out of place he hadn't moved it back to precise military like straight-ness. She looked back up at her friend. One of the very few people in the world she would call a friend. He looked more out of control then she has ever seen him.

"Blaise,I do not have time for this." Draco told her. "Do you have somewhere else to be?"

Blaise looked up from the comforter, she just nodded meekly and walked out of the room.

Sure, she daring was when it came to Draco Malfoy, but she was not suicidal. She had never seen Draco this troubled about anything before, troubled enough not to obsesively put everything within a twelve meter radius around him in order. At times like this, it was best to make a graceful exit.

Behind her, Blaise heard the muffled sounds of music from behind the door.

Draco had probably turned it up loud so no one counld her what he was doing behind his closed door.

Bliase worried her lip, glad to be out of there. Her playfull mood had quickly turned serious.

She was right before when she had thought that sparks show would be a sight, but now it would get much more interesting.

* * *


	9. in which Hermione bonds with her dad

* * *

Chapter IX - Daddy's Girl

* * *

Hermione was immersed in a book. The only movement in the great plush room was every few minutes when she would turn the page. Then, suddenly she put the book down and grabbed a luxury eagle feather quill and began scratching away on the expensive thick parchment that she had been provided with for her home work.

The cost of the items was not the only change in the witch. Not long ago, she would have been slouching in her seat, bringing her face as close to the paper as possible. Now, she sat ramrod straight. She was wearing her purple silk pyjamas with a long beige over robe. this out fit was still appropriate seeing as how it was only eight o'clock in the morning.

The only thing that had not changed was her appearance. Blaise said that they would work on that last. They an appointment schduled for after the meeting with the wedding planner the next day.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

If this jolted Hermione, she did not show it. For the last month or so she had been put thorugh a crash course in ettiquette, from both her mother, Mercedes and Blaise, a Slytherin girl who was becoming dangerously close to being a friend.

"Come in." She called out.

The door opened, the footsteps that sounded were heavier than Mercedes's.

"Good morning, Mia."

The witch turned to see Philippe.

She had not spoken much with him since the day she had arrived. This time, the shock showed on her face. (She just didn't have the knack to keep her face bland and pleasant all the time.)

He was just as majestic as when she had first seen him, now however, he was wearing a pair of corduroys and what looked like a large University sweater that had a coat of arms at the breast. Hermione realized that it was the insignia of Hogwarts.

He looked so dad-like that she wasn't sure to laugh or to cry.

The only thing that was different from her own adoptive father was that Thomas was portly and his hair was already thinning, Philippe was fit and young. Also he was carrying a delicate Rosewood box in his hand.

"Good morning, er-Philippe."

He smiled.

"Not confortable with it yet,I see." he teased. "Not to worry, strumpet, you will eventually get used to me."

Hermione blushed.

"You are wondering whyI have not been more involved these past few weeks?" He asked. He was still standing, most people would look awkward but extensive pure blood training obviously ensured that Philippe would not look awkward in any given situation.

Hermione just stared at him blankly and then realized her own lapse in manners.

"Oh, Dear," She said. "Uh, please sit down."

Philippe's smile was wry as he sat and placed the box beside him. Now thst she got a better look at it she noticed that it was about the size of two of her larger books stacked one on top of the other, and if was covered in silver inlays of fleur-de-lis.

"You've caught me off guard." Hermione admitted. "I'm not really used to this... Merlin,I can't remember what to do-"

Philippe sighed.

"Mia, please." He said. "I am your father.I came here to tell you that you need not be polite and stiff with me. In fact I'd rather that you didn't-I'm not doing this, very well am I?"

Hermione had to crack a smile.

"I usually like to be the silent mysterious type." He went on, sparing her a rougish wink. Hermione nearly forgot that he was still the Prince of France. "Mercedes does most of the talking at gatherings.I like to keep things simple."

He paused then patted the place next to him. It was universal sign-language for 'please sit by me'.

"You have to understand that it isn't so easy to have your daughter just come back to you." He said his smile disappeared he suddenly looked very serious. The change was instant but complete, suddenly he was the mighty prince who wore power like a cloak and demanded respect. "I'm always scared thatI have made the wrong decision in leaving you to terrorize the muggle world." He paused, Hermione walked over and sat next to him. "I was afraid that you would be angry with me for giving you away.I hope that you know we did it to protect you, Mia."

Hermione smiled gently.

"I know." She said. "Don't worry.I understand."

The smile reappeared and he set aside the box for a moment to pull Hermione into a tight hug.

"I am forgiven at last." He said softly. "You cannot understand what a burden that has been over the years.'

hermione decided that she was not to respond to that. She looked down at the box, running her hands over it curiously.

"What's this?" She asked.

Instead of answering her, Philippe opened the box. Inside, it was lined with deep blue velvet, and resting on the velvet was the most delicate, most beautiful circlet of diamonds Hermione had ever seen. Not that she had seen all that many.

"Is this mine?" She managed to sputter.

Philippe chucked.

"It was your gradmother's." He said taking the tiara from its place and then gently placing it on Hermione's head. "It's belonged to every French Wizarding monarch in my family since the time of Queen Camille in the 1500's. And now its yours."

Hermione looked up at him. He a large proud grin on his face.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Come in." Hermione only just managed to say.

Mercedes walked in a serene smile on her face.

"So this is where everyone is." She exclaimed. She walked over to them, she stopped, however, when she saw the tiara. for a moment Hermione thought that Mercedes was just about to cry. "Well, Mia, it suits you perfectly."

Hermione smiled in pleasure.

"Thank you, maman." She said. "thank you, papa."

If the two Russeaux's noticed the subtle titles, they did not make a big deal out of them, which was exactly what Hermione hoped they'd do.

"Come Philippe, let us leave Mia to her own devices for now." Mercedes said as she pulled her husband out of the room. "Remember Mia, you have a planning session tomorrow, for your wedding! Narcissa andI have been exited for weeks."

Hermione nodded dumbly.

"Yes, and I have been less excited." Philippe said. "The more you plan, the more I have to spend."

Right, her wedding, that was qute enough to burst the happiness for the famillial moment.

As they closed the door behind her, Philippe and Mercedes exchanged looks.

"When she was a baby she was a daddy's girl." Mercedes said matter of factly. "And it seems to me that she still is."

Philippe broke into a goofy smile.

"Aw, 'Cedess, you're just jealous."

Mercedes glanced back at the door and then shook her head.

"No." She answred with all seriousness. "No, I'm not."

* * *


	10. in which Hermione plans her wedding

* * *

Chapter X - The Wedding Planner

* * *

Hermione resistered the urge to shift uncontrolably in her seat, as much as she had been practicing keep absolutely perfect psoture, it still hurt her back. It was garrishly obvious that she was was far from used to this, at least to her.

Next to her sat Mercedes, chatting animatedly with Narcissa about dates and appetizers and seating arrangements across from them the wedding planner, a witch with ginger hair and peach robes.

Hermione sat at the far corner of the table as far as she could have possibly be seated from Malfoy- or rather Draco, she kept forgetting that she was supposed to be calling him Draco.

She had wanted to see the look on his face when she appeared at the meeting in all her pureblooded glory, But Blaise had advised her to keep everything under wraps for now, wait until her hair and skin were done, that way it would all come as one big shock. That way Draco would not have time to acclamitise to her presence. Hermione followed her advice, no matter what she wanted to do, Draco was Blaise's bestfriend and she knew him better than anyone. Hermione would be foolish not to take her adivce, and Hermione was anything but foolish.

For his part, Draco sat at the other side of them table, completely silent, not sulking, just silent. It was rather obvious that he was only here for show, because he had the title of groom and he had to give a semblance of being involved.

"-so Hermione what do you think?" Narcissa asked her suddenly.

Hermione swallowed, the three witches were all staring at her expectantly, they seemed really eager to get her input on things.

"I b-beg your pardon?" She managed to ask, she was proud that her voice did not come out as a pathetic sqeak. "You want to know whatI think?"

Narcissa chuckled.

"But of course, dear." She said. "After all, it is you that is getting married and not me."

She and Mercedes giggled like school girls, it took a few moments for Hermione to realize that she was supposed to speak up about now.

"Uhm, asI am not used to such thingsI trust whatever judgement my mother makes on my behalf." She said trying to sound as though she knew what she was doing, it was really just a fancy way of saying she had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Mercedes and Narcissa exchanged knowing smiles.

"Mia, we're discussing flower arrangements." her mother said. "I would really like to know your input on the centerpeices. This is your wedding, after all, not ours."

There was a mischeivous gleam in her eye she was enjoying Hermione's squirming.

"Cat got your tongue, _Hermione_?" Asked Draco.

Hermione scowled at him. For the first time he looked vaguely interested.

It figures that he would be interested only in her complete humilitation. Some things never changed, pureblood or mudblood.

"No." She bit out between her teeth. She knew that Blaise had advised her about clenching her teeth, Draco was perceptive and any change in her demeanor would be notcied and then exploited.

"Very well." He said. "There is no need to be irked, simply a friendly jibe, is all."

Hermione glared at him. She could consider herself exploited.

"Not to worry, Mia," Mercedes interjected sensing the impending blow out. "Why don't you tell us the dream wedding you wanted as a girl, we can being from there."

Hermione considered this for a second and then nodded. Just like many other girls, when she was young, Hermione planed out her entire wedding, of course she was about eight at the time, so she hesitated before she began telling her mother and Narcissa Malfoy about it.

"Well,I wanted to wear this long white silk shift-of courseI did not know it was called a shift then-and the groom would wear black pants and white shirt, the ceremony would take place outside under a willow tree, and then we could all retreat to an open roman-esque villa, with marble floors and large sheets of slik hainging from the ceiling. and everyone would be barefoot-"

"I beg your pardon?" Demanded the wedding planner.

Both narcissa and mercedes looked at her sharply, they were obviously too well bred to interrupt. They did express surprise, though.

"Barefoot, Mia?" Mercedes asked, her face registering more amusment then incredulity.

Hermione looked down.

"As a childI never really liked wearing shoes." She admitted. "I know its stupid, we don't have to do that, just the musings of a strange girl is all."

Marcedes and the wedding planner nodded. Narcissa, however, looked thoughtful.

"You know what, as peculiar as it maybe that sounds delightful."

Everyone stared at her.

"Narcissa?" Asked Mercedes asked.

Narcissa nodded.

"It does indeed." She said addressing mostly herself. "Of course we will have to make a few adjustments," She continued of Mercedes's look. "I am simply saying saying that it is a very good start."

Hermione was surprsied.

"It is?"

By now, Mercedes was smiling delightedly.

"Of course, dear." Mercedes said. "Listen to Narcissa, she always did have an eye for this kind of thing."

"We could have a classical theme." Narcissa said smilling beatifically. "Not togas for the men of course, but long greek cut dresses for the women. And the ceremony performed in a marble pavillion, on a cliff by the sea. Perhaps dover."

Mercedes beamed.

"That is a monumental idea." She cried. "Such has never been seen in another wedding." She smiled and breathed deeply. "Certainly it will be the most dazzling event of the year."

Narcissa nodded exitedly.

Both women then turned to the wedding planner scornfully.

"You." Narcissa said acidly. "What is it we pay you for if not to come up with ideas like these?"

The witch let out a squeak. In all truth she had no idea what to say about the wedding. The Russeux's were known for being rather unconventional, both women had already refused her various ideas. She had thought she was home free when Narcissa had come up with a wonderful theme. Now they were both ganging up on her for not thinking of it first.

"You pay her to arrange everything so that you won't have to, mother." Draco spoke up lazily.

Both mothers turned to Draco and then back to the planner, who nodded fearfully. They both turned up their noses snobbily.

"Very well then." Sniffed Mercredes. "Be on your way and arrange it.I want to see menu samples, place setting arrays, flower suggestions and drafts of the announcment in the daily prophet by monday morning."

The Wedding planner fearully nodded her head and apparated away.

Narcissa and Mercesdes looked at each other and beagan to giggle.

Hermione looked form one to the other just one moment ago they had seemed icily irritated and now, they were practically tearing with mirth.

"If you make their job too simple," Draco spoke up yet again this time he was addressing Hermione. He gestured to the wedding planner's vacated seat. "They tend to be lax in the planning. To remedy this, one must remind them that they are expendable and should they turn in a subpar performance, they will be sacked." he paused and turned his attention back to his mother. "Now, seeing as how this meeting his finished, Mother, mayI be excused?"

Naricissa smiled fondly.

"Of course, dear." She said.

Draco nodded, rose, kissed his mother on the cheek before striding purposefully from the room.

Mercedes looked after him.

"Mia?" She asked addressing her own beloved child. "Would you like to go with Draco."

Hermione fought not to cringe at the prospect.

"No." She said. "ButI would like to be excused."

Mercedes nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. she had noticed that her daughter did not seem excited by the prospect of her marriege. she understood, she had been frightened as well when she had heard that she was going to be married to a complete stranger, but upon meeting Philippe her doubts were soothed. She had hope the same would go for Hermione. It semmed, however, that Hermione and Draco did not enjoy each other's company at all. She could not help but wonder why, Draco was a perfectly charming young man. She looked on after her daughter.

She would talk to Hermione about it later.

* * *

AN: if anyone is bothered by the spelling of Rosseux its really supposed to be Rosseux... and Rossaeux's have just been my horrible typing and i can't be bothered to re submit everything.


	11. in which Hermione meets Miles

* * *

Chapter XI - The Breakfast Club

* * *

Draco left the banquet room of Malfoy manor, where the meeting had taken place.A quick glance at his platinum pocket watch told him that it was still relatively early in the morning. He needed to go see Blaise. He walked up to his room, opened the antique armoire and climbed in.

He, Blaise and Miles Flaherty had all learned to transfigure each of the wardrobes in their respective rooms, they had done it years ago when Miles had read the muggle novel "the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" all he had to do was climb into his own wardrobe and he would arrive in any of their wardrobes.

He soon found himself brushing passed silky robes and expensive, high heeled, dragon hide shoes, he was in Blaise's closet. He pushed open the mahogany doors and found himself in Blaise's empty room. It didn't bother him at all to be in his friend's room without her present, it had happened many times before. He looked around for a few moments trying to figure out where she would have gone. He decided after a little bit of deliberation that she was probably down stairs in the morning terrace having breakfast.

Moments later, he opened the heavy wooden doors, knowing that some house elf had already alerted Blaise of his prensence in the manor.

"Good morning, Draco." Blaise greeted pleasantly.

"Hello, Blaise." he said. His gray eyes surveyed the room, it had stone floors and three quarters of the walls where made of glass. his gaze finally landed on the tall, lanky boy leaning on the far wall. "Miles!"

Miles Flaherty was another pedigreed pureblood in their caliber, the only one not sorted into Slytherin but Ravenclaw. he was tall and pale with dark brown hair and gray-green eyes. Other than house, he and Draco had quite a bit in common, including age, upbringing and being betrothed into royalty, although in the case of Miles he had known Wes Finn of Ireland since they were children and had spent most of the summers growing up with her.

"Top of the morning to you, Lad." He joked.

"When did you get back from Galway?"

Miles shurgged.

"About two days ago." He said, taking a seat at the table that Blaise was currently occupying. "But mother had me swamped with readying for Hogwarts. Books and quills and new robes and other such nonsense. She's convinced that this year is special bcause its the last, honestly, I'm surprised she isn't scolding me for not making head's position."

"And _guess _who the headmaster picked for headboy." Blaise said to him, her mouth twisted into a half smile.

The brunet arched an eyebrow.

"Harry Potter?" He said without hesitation.

Blaise shook her head, smiling impishly.

Miles looked shocked, he considered the question for a few moments longer and then sighed.

"Draco you feind." He said shaking his head. "Its a good thing that old coot chocks a whole lot to inter-house unity.I thought the boy-who-lived was headboy for bloody certain, and if not him then at least ME"

Draco chuckled and took the last chair.

"Only goes to show you, Miles, that marks are not everything." He said. "How many times mustI remind you of that?"

"Aye." The other boy replied. "One more for old times sake, eh?"A pause and then a wicked smirk. "Oi, Zabini, where is this scrumptuous breakfast that you promised me?"

Blaise rolled her viloet eyes.

"Honestly, Miles" She said. "Good things come to those who wait."

It was at that precise moment that the food appeared before them, a scrumptuous feast of every imaginable breakfast food any of them so desired.

"These in particular." He replied sntaching up one of the cream puffs. "I have missed these."

Blaise scowled at him.

"And hereI thought you missed me."

Miles looked at her apprasingly.

"You?" He asked. "Not so much."

Blaise narrowed her eyes.

"Git." She said playfully.

She was met with a smirk.

"Don'tI know it."

"Blaise?"

All three were surprised by the sound of someone, a female someone calling out for Blaise. Miles counted his friends silently in his head, trying to think and see if Blaise knew anyone outside their little circle close enough to come to her house uninvited and call her by her first name.

Draco, however, recognized the voice immidiately and groaned.

"Bloody brilliant." he muttered. "Its my darling finacee."

"Fiancee?" Demanded his brunet friend. He paused for a second and then his green eys widened. "You mean you've met her? She's here? the Russeux girl?" He smiled suddenly. "You must be delighted, Draco, you've been waiting for her for years."

Blaise and Draco shared rather pained looks.

"Well-"

The answer was cut off when a house-elf burst into the sunny room followed by a nervous looking Hermione. All three of them were too well mannered to stare, but Miles did peer at her curiously.

Hermione wrung her hands together and tried to keep from worrying her lip, seeing the three pure bloods a sitting there staring at her did not do anything to improve her nerves.

"You're Hermione granger." Miles said. He turned to Draco and then to Blaise. "You've got to be bloody kidding me."

Draco's face snapped back to the usual impassive mask he donned around the public in general.

"I sorley with that I was." He muttered under his breath.

Miles's eyebrows shot up and he grinned.

"Blaise?" Hermione said in a small voice. "You said to come after my appointment with the weding planner?"A pause. "But if you no longer want to come with meI suppose that I can go on my own,I see that you are r-rather busy here."

"Don't be like that, Hermione." Blaise said waving her hand dissmissively. "We'll still go. Let me just finish my tea.I apologise for the change in plans but an unexpected guest showed up a few days earlier than he was supposed to." She turned from Miles to Hermione. "Oh,I don't think you've met, Hermione, this is-"

"Miles Flaherty, your highness." He said corteously, he inclined his head. All three of them were high enough in rank to not have to bother with bowing in private, and it was good thing too, because from the looks of it Hermione barely understood how to handle the greetings much less the bowing.

"Uh, hi," She said in a tone as friendly as she could make it. "And please, just call me Mia."

Miles returned her smile, but there was no warmth in it.

Blaise glance around the table. She realized that she had better finish her tea soon so she hurried up and then set her saucer down.

"Come along, Mia." She said. "Lets go you have an appointment."

She stood and took Hermione's hand smiling at the boys before starting to lead Hermione from the room.

"Blaise!" Miles called. "Where're you off to?"

Blaise grinned.

"Girly things." She said.

"You do girly things?" Miles asked. He looked stricken.

"I've been with boys to long." Blaise repliedrolling her eyes."Enjoy yourselves. I'll see you two later."

"Sooner than you think." he replied. "Draco and I'll meet you twoat Fortescue's later at four, what about it?"

Blaise nodded.

She and Miles shared wicked smiles, Draco and Hermione both gulped.

"Sure," She said. "Sounds like fun."

* * *


End file.
